Unexpected Hero
by HarkerFire
Summary: Harry's a Hufflepuff, Dudley's at Hogwarts and things keep going from bad to worse... (Characters and setting obvs belong to J K Rowling.)
1. Chapter 1

Harry Potter sat at his stool and prayed. His eyelids were squeezed tightly together and his whole body tense as he desperately urged the Sorting Hat to not put him in Slytherin, or into any house Dudley was in. The stool was uncomfortably hard yet Harry didn't move a muscle, instead sitting as still as a statue and twisting his fingers into his brand new robe.

_"Please, please, please don't put me in Slytherin_" He silently begged, gripping the edge of his seat tightly _"I'll do anything, just don't stuff me away with those kids, especially that Draco Malfoy-"_

_**"That's not a good enough reason, I'm afraid"**_ The hat replied, it's voice somehow reverberating through Harry's head "_**But as you wish. You're brave, but not Gryffindor brave and Ravenclaw would do you no good...hmmmm, this is exceedingly difficult Mr Potter, exceedingly difficult..."**_

_"Just put me in Gryffindor, I don't mind!"_ Harry screamed internally, concious of the fact that the whole hall was looking his way_ "Oh God, please hurry up, they're all staring and whispering!"_

**"_Gryffindor is not the path for you"_** The hat retorted, cutting him off "_**How about Hufflepuff? It's a nice house, extremely under-rated-"**_

_"But isn't that Dudley's house?"_ Harry countered, suspicious "_You want me to be in the same house as Dudley?!"_

_**"Why on earth not?"**_ The hat chuckled, far too amused with itself "_**What better way to demonstrate** **your loyalty? Good luck Mr Potter!"**_

_"No, wait_!" Harry thought desperately, but it was too late.

"**HUFFLEPUFF**!" The hat bellowed, and with a sigh of annoyance, Harry ripped the stupid thing from his head, jumped down from his seat and walked to the table with the yellow banner hanging on above. He slid into a seat next to Dudley, ignoring the deadly silence that had blanketed the hall. Not even a single person clapped. They all just stared, a few even getting up from their seats to goggle at him.

This lasted for approximately half a second, which was far too long in Harry's opinion.

"What are you all looking at?!" He snapped, a bit too aggressively. He glared towards the Slytherin table, where people were already laughing boisterously and mocking him. "Have you never seen someone sit down before?!"

This caused a ripple of laughter to spread across the hall, and several Gryffindor's shouted their approval, whistling appreciatively. Harry had the feeling it was mainly the Weasley twins.

He was already beginning to regret ever saying anything, as he could see the teachers glaring at him as they tried to regain order. Even Dumbledore was looking and no doubt judging him, and the idea made Harry want to smash his forehead against the golden plates. Repeatedly.

The worst 10 seconds in Harry's life thankfully soon passed, and the sorting continued. Neville and Hermione, the pair Harry had been on the train with, both went to Gryffindor and for some reason that made him feel really depressed. He could've been with them, but he was instead stuck with Dudley and a House he had never wanted.

The headmaster made a weird speech and food suddenly appeared, although Harry had lost most of his appetite. Surprisingly, Dudley also didn't feel like eating.

"What's up with you?" Harry asked him, moodily spearing his roast potatoes "Didn't want to be in this house either, right?"

"I don't care about the houses" Dudley grumbled, staring at his food as if it somehow offended him "But that stupid hat was disrespectful, and was chatting rubbish about Mum and Dad,"

"Really?" Harry asked, surprised "But what's that got to do with the Houses?"

"I don't know!" Dudley muttered irritably, and was silent for a long period before speaking up again "Dad said that I should try and get kicked out, so I can go to Smeltings"

"Good luck with that" Harry replied harshly, still in a bad mood "Uncle Vernon can try smuggle you out, but he'll just end up with Hagrid smashing down his door again"

"Shut up, you skinny git" Dudley mumbled, kicking Harry's shin with his boulder-like feet "You made a right fool of yourself you know,"

"I know!" Harry groaned, putting his fork down with disgust "I don't know what came over me, but the way they were staring just got to me..."

Dudley snickered, before finally digging into his food. He must have been cheered up by Harry's crushing humiliation.

"It was quite funny though," The obese boy remarked, ignoring Harry's black look as he began to devour his food, shoving great spoonfulls in and chewing with his mouth wide open. Harry turned away from him in disgust, and found himself making eye contact with a flushed little girl with pigtails.

"Hi" Harry began, smiling weakly at her. "You're Hannah Abbott right? The first to be called out?"

"Yes" Hannah squeaked in reply "You're Harry Potter, and can I just say that I thought you were really brave for doing what you did"

Harry smiled humourlessly.

"Not brave enough for Gryffindor, apparently" He said sourly, but smiled as he realised how unpleasant he sounded. "I'm not usually like that, but it's just annoying, to be stared at like that when no one else was"

"I know, and the way no one clapped was really mean!" Hannah replied, looking extremely indignant on his behalf "So, you were aiming for Gryffindor, right?"

"Not really," Harry replied, hesitantly taking his first bite of food. "To be honest, all I wanted was to not be in Slytherin, but Gryffindor would've been nice. My parents were there, and all the witches and wizards I've heard of or talked to have been in that house"

"Well, it shouldn't really matter, it's only a school thing" Hannah reassured him "I get the thing about Slytherin, but trust me Harry, no one with a brain judges a person based on their House"

Harry thanked her, and actually managed to cheer himself up and eat a good portion of food. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. He was still going to learn magic, and as long as he wasn't stuck with Dudley 24/7, he might just even make it through the school year without losing his mind.

-*-*.*.*-*.-**..**-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*.*)*-*-*-*-*

After everyone had eaten as much as they could, the First years were escorted back to their dormitories by their respective prefects. A kid called Wayne Hopkins with a thick Cockney accent was in charge of the Hufflepuffs, and led them to the West side of the building, to where the kitchens apparently where.

"Listen up, lil' ones" Wayne called, leading them into a shadowy area, where giant barrels lay stacked. "This is the entrance to our Common Room, and you better watch out you lot, cos if you get it wrong the barrels explode and you drown in vinegar!"

There was a collective sound of disgust and Wayne grinned.

"Right, all eyes on me!" He called "You tap the barrells in the rhythm of 'Helga Hufflepuff'! Now you only knock these two, and these two. Knock on the others and the lid will come off and cover you in that nasty vinegar"

Harry stood on his tiptoes to see what Wayne would knock. There were 6 barrels, and he knocked four of them to the rhythm of their Founders name. A circular opening immediately appeared, revealing a ominously dark tunnel.

"In you get Kiddos" Wayne called, pushing them down the slide to be deposited into God knows where. People slid down one by one, some shrieking as they went down, and others staying dead silent. Harry and Dudley were the last students left and they immediately ran into a problem.

It was obvious that Dudley wouldn't be able to fit.

"Well, someone clearly enjoys their food!" Wayne sighed, scratching at his head with confusion "I mean, we've had tubby students before, but never someone like you mate. No offence of course."

"Can't you just widen the exit?" Harry asked warily, not in the mood for more drama "Like, I don't know..."

"Like expanding magic or something" Dudley interupted, not ashamed of himself at all "This entrance is titchy anyway"

"Was fine till you came along" Wayne muttered in reply "I spose' enlargement should work, but stand back, just in case it doesn't"

Harry edged backwards, excited despite himself to see more magic being performed. Wayne brought out his wand, flexed his arms and licked his lips nervously before doing the spell.

"_Engorgio_!" He shouted, and to their surprise, it worked. The entrance quivered, then doubled in size, large enough for two Dudley's to slide down. Wayne grinned at them triumphantly before jumping in, followed closely by Harry, and finally, Dudley.

They were deposited onto a bunch of extremely soft cushions, in a cosy little room that bore striking resembelance to a burrow. Despite it being evening, the common room seemed sunny and bright, and was so very homely that Harry immediately felt at ease. It was warm and earthy, and had several hobbit-like, circular doors which must have led to the various dormitories. Strange plants littered the room, and Harry could've sworn one was gently humming a lullaby. The windows seemed to be at ground level, but all he could see through them at the moment was grass and the star spangled sky.

"Off to bed, trouble-makers!" Wayne teased, helping Dudley heave himself off the floor. "Look for the door labelled 'First years', travel up a few steps, the go into the Boy's dorms. Night!"

Harry thanked him, and dragged himself towards his waiting bed. He barely took any notice of what his surroundings looked like, merely changing into pyjamas and collapsing on top of the ever-so-soft mattress.

"Night Dudders" He slurred, knowing full well that Dudley loathed that nick-name. He allowed himself a brief chuckle before falling dead asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry woke up 30 minutes late the next morning, and realised he hadn't even climbed under his covers during the night. No wonder he had been so cold. Groaning as he realised he had ten minutes left until his first ever lesson, he jumped into the bathroom and showered in double-quick time, not even bothering to sort out his crazy bed head.

He ran back to the dorm and slipped on his shoes, sighing impatiently as he realised Dudley was still asleep.

"Get up, you fat slob!" He cried, struggling with his tie "We've got five minutes to spare!"

Dudley moaned in response, but Harry was unmerciful, throwing a spare trainer at his head and physically dragging him into the bathroom. He even sorted through Dusley's trunk and found his toothbrush. He threw it in after him, threatening him with a shoe if he didn't hurry up.

They managed to get into the hall with a minute to spare, grab a drink and peice of toast, before sprinting to whichever classroom they had a lesson in.

Apparently it was transfiguration, and Harry had no idea where that was. They got lost twice, before finally arriving, just as Professor McGonagall was letting the last students trickle in.

"A valid effort boys" She commented dryly "Next time, try to wake up on time, and arrive with hair that doesn't look like the scene of a disaster!"

Harry couldn't even draw breath to answer her, merely walking in and collapsing at the back of the classroom in a sweaty, panting mess. People were sniggering at them, particularly at Dudley, who was as red as a lobster and just as shiny.

The lesson proceeded without incident, and was actually quite pleasant until McGonagall gave them a simple transfiguration task to carry out: turning a penny into a button.

"There is no reason why-" McGonagall lectured, inspecting each students work intensely "you shouldn't be able to complete this task. If you've been listening that is, unlike Goldstien!"

Anthony Goldstein protested against his singling out, but the rest of his house managed to carry out the task perfectly, after only a few attempts.

"Well they're obviously good at it, they're bloody Ravenclaws!" A boy called Zacharias complained, as McGonagall compared there work to that of the Hufflepuff students. "That's not fair, professor!"

"What isn't fair Mr Smith, is you dismissing their effort as something their House has provided them with!" McGonagall retaliated "There is no reason why you cannot perform as well as your Ravenclaw counterparts!"

"But your house does reflect your personality!" Susan Bones called out, also offended "Ravenclaws are ravenclaws, and are good at learning!"

"Some people don't suit there House though Professor!" Someone added, and suddenly, lots of people were putting their input into the discussion.

"Yeah professor, some people don't belong inside a house!"

"Like Harry Potter! Why's he in Hufflepuff?"

Everyone swivelled around to gouge Harry's reaction. Perhaps they were expecting a repeat of last night's sassiness.

"I'm in Hufflepuff because the hat put me here" Harry explained patiently, despite his annoyance "Why are you in Hufflepuff Zacharias?"

"Enough with this talk of Houses!" McGonagall interrupted abruptly "Concentrate on your work, and Zacharias, you've earned yourself a detention!"

All was silent apart from Zacharias' annoyed mutters, but someome put up their hand and raised the topic again.

"Professor, is it possible for a person to belong in two houses at once? Like Harry Potter?"

"Stop using me as an example!" Harry shouted at the boy who had asked the question "Use yourself as an example why don't you?"

"Will the pair of you** BE QUIET**!" McGonagall yelled, losing what little patience she had left "Good grief, and I thought this would be one of my better behaved classes!"

The dark-haired boy who had spoken before couldn't prevent himself from talking again.

"But why is Potter in Hufflepuff?" He blurted out, craning his neck around to face Harry "I mean, no offense, but even Slytherin seems more likely-"

"Why don't you join them, if there so great?" Harry barked harshly "You're not the sorting hat, so why don't you just shut up?!"

"Temper, temper" The boy grinned mockingly, "Don't worry though, there's no reason why you can't be a Gryffindor at heart, right professor?"

McGonagall told him to shut up and gave him a detention, whilst various people snickered into their desks.

Harry gritted his teeth, flushing furiously and utterly outraged that someone was trying to humiliate him yet again. He tried to control his rage, but found himself on his feet brandishing his wand. But since he knew virtually no spells apart from the one for turning pennies into buttons, he threw his wand towards the commentator's head.

Bullseye. It smacked straight into the back of the boys neck, flared brightly, and scorched half his hair off. Yelling with both pain and shock, the boy whirled and pointed his own wand towards his tormentor. Harry spotted the tip of the wand glowing, and immediately ducked. A stream of red soared above him and slammed into the wall, leaving an acrid smell and an ugly black scorch mark.

**"BOOT AND POTTER, GET OUT OF MY CLASSROOM!"** McGonagall screamed, sounding positively demonic** "HARRY POTTER, GET OUT FROM UNDER THAT DESK AND LEAVE! THIS INSTANT!"**

Fearing for his life, Harry hurried out, pausing only to retrieve the wand rolling on the floor. The entire class was in uproar and McGonagall was giving him a look so dirty he was surprised he wasn't shriveling up from the bitterness.

"You shall both wait outside the classroom until I'm finished" She stated, dangerously calm "Anymore shenanigans and I will see you both expelled! Now get out!"

They sat opposite each other in the corridor outside, glaring furiously at one another. Terry Boot rubbed at the back of his head, muttering spitefully under his breath and keeping a tight grip on his wand. Harry clenched his equally as hard, hating the boy for making him draw yet more negative attention towards himself.

However, once the adrenaline had faded away, Harry realised he had behaved stupidly. He could have just ignored Boot, or at least provide a verbal retort instead of physically assaulting him. He knew that now everyone would see him as the manic, reckless famous kid, too arrogant to back down and he had no one to blame apart from himself.

"Look, I'm sorry for throwing my wand at you and burning off your hair" Harry burst out, after 20 minutes of solid silence "I was stupid, I know, but I've been so stressed about Hogwart's I sometimes act weird. I'm not this violent usually, I swear!"

Terry relaxed, seeming to have accepted his apology.

"Well, to be honest, I kind of deserved it" Terry admitted, looking down sheepfully "I was trying to be funny I guess, and just ended up looking like an arsehole. With half my hair missing."

Harry laughed, immediately warming to the boy he had loathed just a few minutes ago. As they talked, Harry found that Terry Boot was actually a pretty interesting fellow, and really funny too. In fact, by the time the lesson had finished, he was pretty sure he had earned himself a good friend.

Students streamed out of the classroom, staring at Harry with both awe and disbelief. Anthony Goldstein glared at him and opened his mouth to no doubt insult him, but surprisingly, Terry came to his aid.

"Leave him Anthony," He warned, shocking the students round him "We've sorted it out, alright? The guy's decent, leave him alone!"

Anthony seemed disgruntled, looking over Harry suspiciously before moving along. Harry grinned at Terry with thanks, who winked impishly back. Dudley came waddling out last, ignoring Terry's disgusted look and pulling a stupid face at Harry.

"Idiot" He grunted, before stomping off to whatever lesson they had next.

"Prepare yourself" Terry muttered grimly, just as McGonagall swung open the door and beckoned them in.

And then she merely stood there, staring coldly at them both, with her arms tightly folded.

"I have never, ever, in all the years I've taught seen such a poor example of a students first day," She stated quietly, fury beginning to build in her eyes "Potter, you turn up to my lesson _late_, completely unprepared with appalling presentation. You then proceed to throw your _wand_ at a fellow student! Tell me Potter, do you think it's wise to treat such an important item that way?! Hmm? Did you not realise that there were much worse things that wand could do? Did you not realise that you could've _killed_ Boot here?!"

Harry didn't answer, merely staring down at his shoes whilst Terry was berated in a similar fashion. Once McGonagall had run out of insults, she dismissed them, saying that they both had detention to attend on Saturday, in her office from seven until eight.

Harry thought that was the last of it, and grabbed his bag, desperate to leave, but McGonagall called out for him to stay.

"Wait a minute Potter, I want to have a word with you" She ordered, dismissing Terry with a flick of her hand. The Ravenclaw student shot him a sympathetic look before scarpering.

"Professor, I'll be late" Harry pleaded, glancing towards the door yearningly "I don't want another detention on my first day!"

"I'll write you a note" McGonagall said, leaning back against her desk "No, what I need to talk to you about is your attitude, Potter. You behave like someone going off the rails."

"I'm sorry professor"

"That's all very well, but you must try harder Potter. Don't fall in with the wrong crowds, and don't be so hot-blooded next time. Why are you so angry?"

Harry sighed, unsure how to put his feelings into words.

"I'm not angry professor, I'm just annoyed at being in the same House as Dudley and people treating me differently because if it"

McGonagall raised her eyebrow, obviously wanting him to continue.

"You saw how they were like yesterday" He muttered, rubbing at the nape of his neck self-consciously "And on the train, people were telling me what Hufflepuff was, and how I didn't have to worry about being in it, but look at me now!"

"There's no point in worrying what other people think-"

"I wouldn't if they would just leave me alone!"

McGonagall sighed in defeat, instead moving onto another topic.

"What about your Aunt and Uncle, Potter?" She questionned curiously "It must have been a surprise for them, to find out their only son was a wizard..."

Harry frowned, internally debating on whether to tell McGonagall about the commotion that had occured once Uncle Vernon had found the letters. His Aunt and Uncle had suddenly started blaming him for Dudley's mysterious 'condition', although Harry had no idea what they were talking about at first. In fact, it was only thanks to Hagrid that he realised they had been talking about magic, which both he and Dudley seemed to have inherited.

"Oh, they'll get used to it" He said nonchalantly, knowing full well that they would never accept Dudley's magic "Uncle Vernon wants Dudley to keep up with his normal studies though, and apparently I have to tutor him."

He didn't add that Uncle Vernon had also threatened him with disownership if his son came back brain-washed with wizardry. It was a miracle that Dudley was even attending, although Harry had the sneaking suspicion that it wouldn't be for long.

"Hmm," McGonagall muttered, sounding unconvinced. She turned to her desk and grabbed a peice of parchment, scribbling a note for him to take to his next lesson.

"See you on Saturday, 7 sharp, Potter!" She called as he literally ran as fast as he could out of her classroom.

It had certainly been a horrible first lesson.

* * *

><p><em><strong>OK, I've just realised that I haven't explained the plot properly. So here is the stuff I haven't gone over:<strong>_

_**1) In the Canon version, Hagrid rescues Harry. The same happened in this fanfic, but Hagrid also took Dudley after convincing Petunia to let him attend. Uncle Vernon is extremely against it, but was too scared to stand up against Hagrid.**_

_**2) Aunt Petunia blamed Harry for spoiling Dudley's future, and now really, really hates him.**_

_**3) Harry knows about Gryffindor and Hufflepuff from what Hagrid has told him, and from conversations he had on the train.**_

_**4) Harry was with Hermione and Neville on the train, and briefly came across the Weasley twins. That's how he knows them.**_

_**5)Harry has a dislike for Draco because they had an argument on the train, when Draco tried bullying Neville.**_

**_I should've probably wrote a few chapters going over these points, but I'm far too lazy to go back and start over _**

**_P.S, Thank you Ron's Maroon Jumper for leaving such an insightful review, and pointing out mistakes! I really do appreciate it, and thanks for making it so detailed!_**

**_Feel free to point out any typos, grammatical errors etc._**


	3. Chapter 3

A couple of weeks passed and surprisingly enough things were going extremely well for Harry, for which must've been the first time in his life. His lessons were progressing nicely, people didn't stare at him so often and he was beginning to make a couple of friends.

In fact, if it hadn't been for Dudley and his miserable Potions teacher, Harry would've been very satisfied indeed. But even a couple of taunts from his cousin and a series of unreasonable detentions from Snape weren't enough to destroy his optimistic outlook.

It was Thursday morning, and Harry was smiling to himself as he headed down a slowly revolving staircase, ridiculously early for Breakfast as he usually was. He preferred it that way, and it also provided him with an opportunity to explore Hogwarts. He had found many interesting rooms in the castle, including a dust-filled room complete with a mirror, but avoided the third corridor on the third floor as Filch insisted it was a forbidden premesis and threatened him with shackles for trying to break in. Apparently, Dumbledore had mentioned the place, but Harry had been so preoccupied he didn't listen to his speech at the feast.

There was hardly anyone in the Great Hall and the seats were all but empty, apart from a few random students dotted here and there. Harry's gaze wandered over to the Gryffindor table, and he smiled once he spotted a familiar bushy head bent low over a book.

"Hey Hermione" He greeted, slipping into a seat next to her, and helping himself to the uneaten toast on her plate "Still reading I see,"

"It's a great habit, Harry, you should try it sometime" She huffed, but nevertheless flashing him a small smile "You shouldn't be sitting here by the way"

"I shouldn't be talking to a Gryffindor either, but there we go" Harry retorted, unruffled "I should be able to sit with my friends whenever I want, shouldn't I?"

Hermione didn't respond, and when Harry glanced in her direction, he was surprised to find that her face was crimson red and she looked like she was trying to hold back tears. Greatly alarmed, Harry patted her shoulder awkwardly, wondering whether he had said something unintentionally offensive.

"No one has called me their friend before," She muttered, in response to Harry's questioning look "I mean, obviously I've had friends back home, but when I came here everything changed and people don't like me, especially the boys in the other First Year dorm. Lavender and Parvati and the other girls are tolerable, but those boys are something else altogether! I tried telling them to stop being so immature, but-"

Harry didn't pay much attention to her words but didn't interrupt, merely letting her rant. Hermione always came up to him with grievances like this, and she almost always blamed it on a red-head boy in her year she called Ron. Harry didn't mind her complaints. He had similar ones about Dudley and the other Irritating people he had to deal with.

"You should make friends with Hannah Abbott" He advised, once she had run out of steam "She's nice enough. Or Terry and Michael from Ravenclaw. Jarvesh is quite cool too, but he's a bit distant"

"Hmm," Hermione muttered, unconvinced "I'm sure they're lovely, but I'll keep myself to myself thanks. How's your cousin?"

"Terrible!" Harry snorted, shaking his head at the mention of Dudley "He's failing all his subjects, and my Aunt and Uncle aren't speaking to him anymore"

"Why?"

"Because they want him to drop out"

Hermione blinked owlishly, a rare confused expression covering her face.

"Why on earth would they want that?!" She exclaimed, scandalized "My parents aren't exactly used to magic either, but they would never pull me out!"

Harry sighed, not wanting to describe what type of people his Aunt and Uncle really were "Well, they want nothing to do with magic, to be honest" He began, prodding an apple with his finger. "They wanted him to become a manager or footballer or something. Not a wizard"

"Can't he be both?" Hermione questioned, still not getting the point "It's not like all the normal prospects are closed to him now-"

"No Hermione" Harry sighed, cutting her off "Dudley's parents hate magic. End of. They could understand me because I wasn't their child, but they were horrified when Dudley got his letter. His mum hates Hogwarts and his Dad wants him to forget all about this...this magic and and wizardry and stuff. He wants Dudley to go to a posh school called Smeltings"

"Hogwarts is far more beneficial though, surely they must realise that?" Hermione frowned, disapproving "Unless they're really predujiced against magic-"

"Oh trust me, they are" Harry interrupted, swinging off the bench "I'm free of all of this basically, but Dudley's caught between it all"

Hermione frowned and opened her mouth to ask another question, but Harry was already getting out of his seat, seeing the hall gradually getting busier.

"See you in Defence Against The Dark Arts!" He called, before hurrying back to his own table.

* * *

><p>Defence Against the Dark Arts classes, which Hufflepuffs took with the Gryffindors, was always an interesting way to start the day. Quirrell, who taught the lesson, was a shivering wreck who would flinch every time someone asked him a question. Most students were rowdy in his lessons, mainly because they were passionate about the subject, but also because they knew Quirrell couldn't discipline them the way other professors did.<p>

But apart from when the Gryffindor lads disrupted the lessons, or when a particularly interesting spell was demonstrated, it was usually dead boring. Quirrel would stammer through his speeches, whilst students stared down at their textbooks with glazed eyes.

"I..intrestingly enough" Quirrell stammered, even his turban quivering slightly as he spoke "I-imps, horlops and other woodland creatures were used i-in the fight against he...He..He w-who..."

Quirrell broke off, much to the confusion of Harry. The professor seemed to be unable to say 'he-who-must-not-be-named', a pseudonym for the infamous murderer. It took Harry a few moments to remember that witches and wizards were still too afraid to say the word Voldemort. It didn't really make sense to him, but most people decided to obey the unwritten rule anyway, and never speak the his name.

There was an awkwalrd silence, as students peered at each other fearfully, wondering why Quirrell had such an aversion to the word. Unsurprisingly enough, Hermione raised her hand, staring straight at the softly groaning professor as he collapsed into his chair.

"With all due respect sir," She called out before he had even acknowledged her raised hand "Why to people fear you-know-who so much? Is saying his name bad luck or something? Why is the wizarding world so afraid of a dead man?"

There was a chorus of horrified gasps, and the Weasley kid sat across Hermione almost fell off his seat in shock. Neville was fiddling nervously with his fingers and the blood had drained from Quirell's face. A faint hissing noise was being made, and it took a while for Harry to realise it was coming from Quirrell's direction.

"Y..you have no idea what you're talking about Granger!" The professor snapped, a very real look of fury flashing across his face "You've been raised amongst muggles! You have no idea what true evil is like!"

Hermione seemed to wilt in her seat as Quirrell's furious glare bored into her skull. Harry felt a rush of indignantion on her behalf, and before he could stop himself, he found himself speaking out.

"But she's right professor" He piped up, ignoring the eyes of 32 students as they swivelled round to stare at him "Muggles have had plenty of villains, but they're not afraid of saying their name. Is V-I mean You-Know-Who really any different to a mass murderer?"

"Well mate, there's a difference between the world's darkest wizard and a loony with an axe!" The Weasley kid interrupted, surprising even himself with the forcefullness of his voice "I..I mean you can't compare you-know-who with a muggle can you?"

"But what about Hitler and his like?!" Hermione snapped back, glaring at her hated housemate "At least Muggles aren't afraid of saying his name!"

A lot of people looked confused at her words, but Quirrell merely grinder his jaws together, still silently fuming.

"One muggle madman cannot compare to The Dark Lord-" He began, but was cut off by Harry again.

"Adolf Hitler killed seven million people for having a particular religion, a further two million for contrasting to his idea of a 'perfect' person, and caused a war that killed 60 million in four years" Harry said quietly, staring down at his hands "Does that honestly compare to You-Know-Who/"

There was a stunned silence. It was easy to pick out the pureblood children, as they looked petrified whilst the muggle-borns held neutral facial expressions.

"He was a twat, but at least we aren't a bunch of sissies like you lot, scared to say a wanker's name" Dudley snorted, belching obnoxiously "God, I shouldn't even be in a school with all you motherfu-"

"Watch you're mouth Dursley!" Quirrell exploded, causing several people to jump up in alarm "How dare you try and trivialize this matter! The Dark Lord hasn't disappeared-"

"But he did get beaten by a baby" Hannah Abbott squeaked, glancing over her shoulder at Harry "I'm not muggle-born, but this Hitler person sound a far worse than you-know-who could ever be.."

She trailed off as her and the rest of her classmates realised that Quirrell had turned purple and seemed to be hyperventilating, puffing in and out with his face screwed up into an awfully contorted expression. Also, the inexplicable hissing noise had grown louder, and seemed angry in tone. Harry wondered whether it was the air escaping through Quirrell's clenched lips or a faulty air vent of some sort behind him.

"Professor?" Hermione enquired gingerly, just as unnerved as everyone else but doing a mighty good job of appearing calm "Do you need water?"

Quirrell ignored her, and managed to straighten up. His eyes travelled across the classroom, seeking out a particular face before locking gazes with Harry. For some reason, this caused a sudden jolt of pain to travel through Harry's forehead, making his eyes to water slightly. He rubbed at his forehead in confusion, wondering whether he had imagined the glint of red in Quirrell's eyes or not.

"Harry Potter," Quirrell stated, his voice unusually strangled "You bought up this topic, did you not? Famous Harry Potter, giving his poor teacher's panic attacks!"

Harry gaped at him, but was quick to defend himself.

"I'm sorry professor, I didn't know-" He began, but Quirrell was having none of it. He marched towards his desk, slammed the textbook shut and shoved it into Harry's chest painfully hard, all the while glaring hatefully at him.

"Get out!" He growled in a voice Harry could've sworn wasn't his. Another painful jolt buzzed through his head but he ignored it, merely packing his stuff away and swinging his bag up onto his shoulders. Perhaps it would be best not to make a scene.

No one else spoke as Harry made his way towards the door, too afraid of Quirrell's uncharacteristic anger, although a few looked sympathetic to his plight. He had his hand on the door handle, and was twisting it open before Quirrell decided to speak to him again.

"You won't be let back into this classroom until you speak to the Headmaster" Quirrell stated, his stutter suspiciously absent. "Mark my words Potter, I'll be talking to D..D..Dumbledore about you"

Harry frowned as he stepped out the classroom, wondering why Quirrell's stammer had returned when he spoke Dumbledore's name. But that wasn't really Harry's problem at the moment.

It looked like he was on the fast track to exclusion.

* * *

><p>Quirrell hadn't given Harry any instructions on where to go, and since he wasn't too keen on meeting Dumbledore straight away, Harry decided to head over to Hagrid's hut. He hadn't spoken to the gameskeeper for a while, and it would be nice to catch up on him.<p>

As Harry headed towards the back of the building, he couldn't help but feel as though he was trespassing on something. Everyone was locked away in classrooms, some of which were more noisy than others. In fact, Harry had to walk past one room that sounded as if there was a fireworks display behind it, and he actually jumped when something slammed against the door. He quickened his pace considerably, practically running past a variety of strange objects, including suits of armour that freaked noisily as they turned to watch him go.

Harry soon found himself on a light sprint, desperately hoping he didn't run into Peeves the Poltergeist or into anyone else for that matter. He was hurrying down a corridor and passing an intersection when suddenly-

**WHAM!**

He smashed into someone head on, causing them both to go sprawling and making the other person swear profusely. Harry frowned, knowing that he recognised that voice. He scanned his memory for who it could possibly be and shot upwards once he realised who it was.

Malfoy!

Harry face-palmed himself, wondering vaguely how his day could get any worse. The blonde boy struggled to his face, flushing furiously and clutching at his right elbow.

"Potter!" He spat, in the conceited way only he managed to do. "How dare you smash into me!"

"I didn't do it on purpose, you git!" Harry retorted, gingerly picking himself up off the floor "In fact, how dare _you _smash into me!"

Draco snarled at him, but his face softened with a curious look.

"Why aren't you in your lesson?" He asked, trying to seem disinterested bit failing miserably "You may be famous but you aren't impartial to the rules, Potter"

"I don't even know why, but Quirrell kicked me out" Harry admitted miserably, ignoring Malfoy's jab "He said something about Dumbledore too, and I'm scared I'm being expelled."

Draco blinked twice, obviously not expecting Harry to have been so honest with him. He struggled to return the obnoxious expression to his face, but he only managed a faint sneer.

"They won't throw you out" He replied confidently, but then looked disgusted at his own words "No! Actually, what I meant was they'll definitely expelled you. Without a doubt."

"Thanks Malfoy" Harry replied wryly, smiling slightly "Anyway, the real question here is why you're out of your lesson!"

"None of your business" Draco sniffed, brushing imaginary dirt off his robes "I'm running an errand for...for Snape, that's right! And it's none of your business what I was doing for him!"

"You're a terrible liar you know"

"Shut up Potter!" Malfoy growled, irritated "Keep your fat nose where it belongs!"

"My name's Harry" Harry stated mildly, rubbing at his still-sore head "Not Potter. Harry"

Poor Draco looked terribly confused at where the conversation was headed. He kept squinting at Harry with his icy grey eyes, looking for a tell tale smirk or arrogant smile. There was none. Harry Potter really was just making small talk.

"Are you bipolar or something?!" Draco snapped, annoyed "One day you hate me, and the next you're telling me your first name. You want me to call you Harry?"

"Well, it's my name you twat" Harry sighed, honestly confused as to why Draco was so suspicious of him "To be honest, I'm just trying to waste time so I don't have to go to Dumbledore"

"Like that old fool can do anything" Draco stated venemously "He would keep even a werewolf here, the muggle-loving bastard..."

"Well you're just perfectly pleasant, aren't you?" Harry asked sarcastically, shaking his head "You still haven't told me why you're here, by the way"

"I don't have to tell you anything!"

"I told you!"

"Yeah, and because I'm a Slytherin, not some stupid Hufflepuff, I don't blurt out my secrets!"

"Oooh it's a secret is it? I wonder what you've been up to!"

Draco blushed furiously for no apparent reason, and Harry couldn't help but laugh as his pale skin flared pink.

"Wanna head to Hagrid's hut?" Harry asked, internally screaming at himself to use his common sense. Why was he befriending a rude and arrogant boy, who only a few weeks ago tried bullying Neville? Harry honestly didn't know why he was even being friendly to Draco, but it was too late now.

"No thanks" Draco muttered, not as viciously as Harry was expecting "Hop it, Potter"

"Piss off, Malfoy" Harry countered, before walking away. He didn't even know why he had bothered. Kids like Draco Malfoy were beyond hope, and probably rotten to the core.

As he walked away however, he missed the strangely contemplative and slightly regretful look on Malfoy's face, as he watched Harry disappear from sight.


	4. Chapter 4

The path to Hagrid's cabin was rocky and uneven and as Harry neared the dwelling, he tripped over a giant pumpkin which lay concealed behind a bush. Grumbling in annoyance, he picked himself up off the ground and forced his way through the vegetable patch, before hammering loudly at the wooden door.

He waited for about two seconds before the door was flung open by a very wild-looking Hagrid. His great mane of tangled hair was puffy and his beard looked ferocious. He stared down at Harry with a startled expression on his face, as the schoolboy smiled weakly in return.

"Hey Hagrid" He greeted, shivering slightly in the cold winter air. "Can I come in?"

"Oh! Course yer can Harry!" Hagrid exclaimed, immediately moving to the side and ushering Harry in. "It's good ter see yer Lad! How's Hogwarts working out for you and yer cousin?.

"Oh, it's alright" Harry replied cautiously, staring around with fascination at Hagrid's home "Is that meat hanging from the ceiling?"

"Course it is" Hagrid answered, rushing to the edge of the room and snatching up a kettle sitting on a pile of eggs "D'you want some tea Harry?"

"Yes please" Harry said, taking a seat in a large and surprisingly soft armchair. He immediately jumped up as he felt something move beneath it, and watched in awe as a great black dog emerged from under his seat.

"Oh, that's Fang, he'll do yer no harm" Hagrid reassured, seeing Harry back away from the creature nervously "Sugar?"

Harry nodded in reply, gingerly sitting back down and patting Fang hesitantly on the head. Hagrid's cabin was surprisingly cosy, and he soon found himself relaxing into his seat.

"I gotta say Harry" Hagrid began, handing Harry a steaming mug and settling into his own seat "I wasn't expecting a visit from yer. Thought yer forgot about me"

"Oh, I didn't, honest!" Harry answered earnestly "It's just that...um.. well I was thrown out my lesson and couldn't think of where else to go"

"Yer joking!" Hagrid's gasped, almost spilling tea down himself "Yer must be joking! What on earth did yer do?!"

"Er..." Harry stammered, unsure where to start but Hagrid continued to lecture him.

"Goodness me, yer better watch yer behaviour Harry! You'll end up expelled if you start getting kicked out of too many lessons! Well, maybe not, but yer don't want ter take the Weasley twins as role models! Which teacher was it?"

"Quirrell, and it wasn't my fault" Harry muttered, annoyed at the scolding "He was saying something about Muggles not having to deal with evil, and I bought up Hitler and said he was far worse than Voldemort"

"Merlin's beard Harry!" Hagrid yelped, shuddering so hard he really did soak his shirt "Yer can't go round saying such things! Yer said you-know-who's actual name?!"

"No!" Harry retorted "I just said there was no point in being scared of You Know Who's name, and then he screamed at me and told me I wouldn't be let back in until I spoke to Dumbledore. And it wasn't even me who bought it up Hagrid! Hermione Granger did, and then all the Muggle-borns joined the discussion, but he only kicked me out!"

"Merlin's beard Harry! Merlin's great bloody beard!"

Harry didn't reply, instead watching as Hagrid got up from his chair and started to pace up and down his small cabin, causing miniature earthquakes to shake the room.

"Yer can't just go saying these things Harry" Hagrid announced grimly, "And ter Quirrell, out of all people! The man's a shivering wreck, so obviously can't deal with such talk..."

"Alright, alright, I'll apologize" Harry interrupted, "I'll go to Dumbledore tomorrow, ask him to talk to Quirrell and let me back in-"

"Yer going ter Dumbledore today" Hagrid grunted, finally sitting back down "But enough o' that. How's Hufflepuff suiting yer?"

"It's...okay I suppose" Harry replied hesitantly, "My dorm mates are a bit boring, and Dudley's driving me bonkers but its not too bad. Full of duffers really, like you said, but I suppose I'm an old duffer as well.."

"I didn't say that!" Hagrid denied vehemently, before blushing and back-tracking "I mean, I did say tha' in Diagon Alley, but yer shouldn't pay attention ter me Harry. Hufflepuff is a noble house, based on loyalty and tolerance, and ter be honest it probably has the nicest students-"

"You said I would be in Gryffindor though" Harry retorted quietly, avoiding eye contact "Said I would make my parents proud by being in that house."

"Yer parents are mighty proud of yer Harry, and so am I!" Hagrid reassured him fiercly, and as Harry lifted his gaze, he was surprised to find kind eyes staring back at him. "Gryffindor, Hufflepuff or even Slytherin, yer a damn good person Harry, so don't yer forget that!"

Hagrid's words warmed Harry's heart, and after another ten minutes of light chatter, he left the cabin feeling a lot lighter than when he had gone in. There was a new bounce in his step as he hiked his way back into a castle, and he even managed to whistle a jaunty tune as he ambled along.

There was still well over half an hour left before lunch, so Harry decided to make his way towards the library to spend the rest of his class period. The giant room was one of Hermione's favourite places, and Harry didn't mind spending time there too. The only obstacle he might have to face was Madam Pince, the hawk-like librarian.

"What are you doing out of your lesson?!" She hissed, spraying him with saliva as Harry tried and failed to sneak in unnoticed. "Students must stay in lessons, especially the first years!"

Harry gnawed at his lip furiously, staring around him in an effort to find inspiration for an excuse. A flash of colour caught his eye, and he was surprised to spot Draco's white-blonde head peering out at him from behind a bookshelf, a faint scowl on his face. He thought Draco would've returned to his lesson or to his dormitory, not hang around the library. But the fact that he was there still made Harry feel relieved.

"I'm with him" Harry blurted out before he could properly comprehend what he was saying "The professor sent me to work with him?"

"Are you sure about that?" Madam Pince questionned, glaring at Draco to stop him from darting away "You boy, is what he says true?"

Draco scowled and opened his mouth to rat Harry out, but paled as Harry slipped out his wand, and ran it across his neck threateningly. Madam Pince didn't notice, and to Harry's relief, Draco nodded silently in agreement.

"Then get out of my sight!" Madam Pince scowled, shooing Harry away with her clawed hands "And keep the noise down, the pair of you!"

"I'm going to kill you Potter!" Draco hissed furiously, as he stomped his way through the shelves, Harry trailing in behind him "Why are you following me, you pathetic toad?!"

Harry shrugged, running his hand down the spines of books distractedly. He really didn't know why he kept interacting with Draco. He knew full well that the other boy was a vain, conceited, pompous twat but he kept bothering him nonetheless. And Harry couldn't deny that annoying Malfoy was surprisingly fun.

"I needed an excuse and you were the only person around" He admitted, taking a discreet step back as he saw the hateful gaze Draco was shooting him. "So, why haven't you returned to class?"

"None of your business" Draco snapped, "Why are you even here? l thought you said you were going to the savage's hut?"

"I got thrown out"

Draco seemed suitably impressed by that, before realising that it was Harry's idea of a joke.

"You probably are going to get thrown out you know, if you continue at this rate" He remarked smugly "Lets see how fame will help you when you leave without any OWLS.."

"I don't know what that is and I don't care" Harry interrupted "When are you going to tell me why you're not in lesson? Did the professor find you too stupid to teach?"

Draco flashed him a rather rude gesture before ducking behind a shelf, not quite accidentally elbowing Harry in the stomach as he did so.

"Piss off Potter!" He hissed, loud enough to earn himself an annoyed growl from Madame Pince "Go pig out with your elephant cousin, just leave me alone!"

Harry glared at him and as his eyes travelled upwards he suddenly got a brilliant idea. Above Draco's mop of blonde hair was a book, which was teetering dangerously close off the edge. It wasn't too large and didn't seem like it would cause a lot of damage, so with a sweet smile, Harry grabbed a random book from behind him and lobbed it over Draco's head.

Bullseye. It smacked into the other book and immediately caused it to topple down and land with a heavy thud on Draco's head. Harry wanted to ask whether he was alright, but the murderous expression on Draco's face made him realise how stupid his little prank had been. With a yelp of pain and fury, Draco launched himself at Harry, who only just managed to dart away, making a shelf full of books crash to the floor in the process.

"I SAID TO BE QUIET!" Madame Pince screeched, but Harry paid her no attention as he fled with terror out of the library, Draco hot on his heels. He could hear the other boy snarling with fury, and he knew that Draco would show no mercy if he caught him. He hadn't expected such a violent reaction from the other boy, but he now new that Malfoy really didn't have a sense of humour.

"Alright, alright I'm sorry!" Harry called over his shoulder, thinking Draco would just laugh it off. "Stop chasing me Malfoy!"

Draco paid him no attention, continuing to chase him and managing to get close enough to yank at the back of Harry's robes. Panting heavily, Harry practically flew down the corridor, cursing himself furiously as he realised that he wasn't helping his cause one bit. With all the trouble he was getting himself into, it would be a miracle if Dumbledore didn't decide to throw him out.

He was still sprinting but was tiring rapidly as he came to the edge of the staircase. Ignoring the suits of armour turning to stare at him, he launched himself down two steps and almost fell over the edge as his foot got trapped in a missing step.

"I'm gonna kill you!" Draco roared, no more than a metre away. With a pang of terror, Harry wrenched his foot free and continued to hurtle down the steps, ignoring the movement of the banisters as he rushed downwards.

"POTTER!" Draco screeched, almost insane with fury but Harry didn't reply. The staircase deposited him onto the ground floor, and without a second thought Harry sped across the polished marble and practically threw himself round a corner.

He promptly felt something icy envelope him, and with an unpleasant shiver, Harry slid down a nearby wall. The bulbous face of Peeves the Poltergeist grinned back at him, floating halfway through the air.

"Oh deary me, ickle first years running round during lesson times, what ever shall I do?" He giggled, flicking a ball of parchment into Harry's face and tripping Draco up as he tried advancing. "Hello there Blondie! What are you tryna do eh?"

"Out of my way, you stupid ghost!" Draco snapped, taking a swing at Peeves only to have his hand fly straight through his form. "Go annoy someone else!"

"Naughty, naughty First year!" Peeves reprimanded, yanking at Draco's hair until the boy yelped. "That's not the way to speak to your elders! D'you want your mouth washed out with soap or what?"

Draco swore at him and tried edging away, but Peeves blocked him and started raining random objects from his pockets down onto Draco's head. Harry spotted his chance and took it, scrambling to his feet and dashing away before they noticed.

He ran round the castle, towards the East side, looking behind him to make sure neither of them were following. That was close. Harry had been half afraid that he'd be caught and thrust into yet more trouble, this time because of a vengeful Slytherin. There was absolutely no doubt in his mind that Draco Malfoy was now his arch enemy, who wouldn't rest until he got revenge for Harry's stupid joke.

He continued in his mad dash, although he was fairly certain that he was safe now. To make sure, he twisted his head round to check behind him, before turning round yet another corner and crashing into someone.

Harry squawked with panic, thinking Draco had managed to ambush him but it turned out to be someone else. The last person on earth Harry would've wanted to run into considering his current circumstances.

It was Dumbledore, and he sure didn't look pleased.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks to all the people that reviewed and followed this story! Especially MoniqueBowman, Voldie's Biatch and Dree! <strong>


End file.
